What is Eye Melanoma
Eye melanoma is a form of cancer that affects the cells that give the eyes their color (pigment). These cells are also found in the skin and hair. Eye melanoma is rare. Melanoma of the skin is much more common.
Eye melanoma usually starts in the middle layer of the eyeball (uvea). This part of the eye includes the iris, which is the colored area around the pupil. Healthy eye cells may develop genetic changes (mutations) that cause them to grow out of control in the eye. Eye melanoma is usually slow growing. It is also not likely to spread to other parts of the body.
What are the causes?
The exact cause of this condition is not known.
What increases the risk?
The following factors may make you more likely to develop this condition:
- Being in the sun or in tanning beds for long periods of time.
- Having blue or green eyes.
- Having fair skin with freckles and burning easily with sun exposure.
- Being male.
- Being 50–80 years old.
- Having certain inherited skin conditions, such as dysplastic nevus syndrome.
- Having abnormal skin pigmentation in the eyelids or inside the eye.
What are the signs or symptoms?
In many cases, there are no symptoms of this condition. If symptoms occur, they may include:
- A dark spot on the iris.
- A change in the size or shape of the pupil.
- Pain or irritation.
- Seeing spots or floaters.
- Eye redness.
- A perception of flashing lights.
- Glaucoma.
- Seeing two of everything (double vision).
- Blurred vision.
- Vision loss, especially peripheral vision.
- Inability to move the eye in one direction.
- A bulging eye or a change in the position of the eye within the socket.
How is this diagnosed?
This condition may be diagnosed based on:
- Your symptoms and medical history.
- An eye exam. During the exam, your health care provider will use various instruments to see inside your eye.
- Tests
to confirm the diagnosis, such as:
- Ultrasound. In this test, high-frequency sound waves are used to spot a tumor and determine how big it is.
- Fluorescein angiography. For this test, a dye is injected into your bloodstream. The dye will glow under a certain type of light, allowing your health care provider to take pictures of the back of your eye.
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT). This test involves using light waves to get a more detailed image of the retina.
- Biopsy. A small piece of the tumor may be removed and examined under a microscope for cancerous cells. This is rarely done for eye melanoma.
If eye melanoma is confirmed, your health care provider will determine the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (staging). Additional tests may be needed, such as blood tests, X-rays, a CT scan, or an MRI.
How is this treated?
Treatment for this condition depends on your age, your overall health, the size and stage of the tumor, and how treatment could affect your vision. Treatment options may include one or more of the following:
- Surgery
to remove the tumor.
- Smaller tumors may be removed from your eye.
- Larger, painful tumors may require the removal of your entire eye (enucleation). You may be able to have an artificial eye implanted. It would look like your natural eye.
- Radiation therapy. This uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. It is often done by surgically placing a small device (radioactive plaque) on your eye over the tumor. The plaque delivers radiation for several days and is then removed.
- Laser therapy. This uses highly focused beams of light to kill cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy. This uses medicine to kill cancer cells. The medicine may be injected into your eye or a vein, or it may be taken by mouth.
- Targeted drug therapy. This uses medicines that target specific genetic mutations linked to melanoma.
Follow these instructions at home:
- Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.
- Work with your health care provider to manage side effects of treatment.
- Maintain
a healthy diet. Good nutrition is important.
- If your treatment causes nausea or an altered sense of taste, try eating smaller meals until you feel better.
- A dietitian or nutrition expert can also help you manage these issues.
- Return to your normal activities as told by your health care provider. Ask your health care provider what activities are safe for you.
- Try to get regular exercise once your health care provider says that it is okay.
- Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important.
Contact a health care provider if:
- Your pain or symptoms get worse.
- You feel weak or very tired. This could be a sign of a low level of red blood cells (anemia).
- You cannot eat or drink without vomiting.
Get help right away if:
- You have severe pain.
- You have problems with vision, such as blurred or double vision.
